Category Archives: Health

October Shorts – Books, Babies, Backpedaling, and Basketball

Posted on October 17, 2023 by John Linko

Banned Books Week – Muted Locally? This corner has made banned books a focus, especially over the last year or so. As such, the recognition of Banned Books Week here should be of no surprise to any regular visitor. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Community, Development, Economics, Environment, Government, Growth, Health, History, Local, Media, Personal, Politics, Public Safety, Schools, Sports, Youth, Zoning | Tagged Allegheny County Library Association, Allegheny Health Network, Andy Sheehan, Ashley Birtwell, Avalon Public Library, Banned Books Week, Blacksmith's House, Buncher Commerce Park, Citizens Concerned for EMS, Edgeworth Borough, Heritage Valley, KDKA-TV, Kris Mamula, Leetsdale Borough, Leetsdale Industrial Park, Little Sewickley Creek, Miller's House, Moon Township Public Library, Norm Mitry, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Preserve Edgeworth, Rize Sports, Ruth Neely, Sewickley Academy, Sewickley Public Library, Sewickley Valley Historical Society, Thomas Tull | 1 Comment

Summer Shorts: EMS IS Public Safety, and Other Inconvenient Truths

Posted on July 25, 2023 by John Linko

Every couple of years stories appear in the media concerning the challenges faced by Emergency Medical Services providers, who are largely dependent on health insurance billing for the bulk of their operating revenue. This year has seen increased media coverage … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Economics, Government, Health, Justice, Local, Media, Pittsburgh, Politics, Public Safety, Security | Tagged Aspinwall Borough, Beaver Valley Regional Police, Bellevue Borough, Ben Avon Borough, Edgeworth Borough, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Service, McKees Rocks Borough, Quaker Valley Ambulance Authority, Ross/West View EMS Authority, Sharpsburg Borough, Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services, Valley Ambulance Authority, volunteer fire departments | Leave a comment

Election Postscript: I’d Rather Have a Ballot in Front of Me than a Cholecystectomy

Posted on June 20, 2023 by John Linko

(Apologies to Dorothy Parker et al) With all of the lead-up to the May 16 primary election, I was looking forward to working that morning and coming home afterward so that Leslie and I, as is our past practice, could … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Civil Liberties, Community, Government, Health, Justice, Local, Media, Personal, Politics, Public Safety, Schools | Tagged AHN Wexford, Allegheny County, Bud Smith, Carolyn Verszyla, Corinna Garcia-Skorpenske, Donna Adipietro, Dorothy Parker, Franklin Park Borough, Geoff Bsarnes, Gianni Floro, Giuseppe Rosselli, Jessica Webster, Joe Rockey, John English, Joseph Bellissimo, Katherine Longwell, Kristie Shelton, Leet Township, Leet Township Police, Magisterial District Judge, Martin McDaniel, Matt Dugan, Melissa Walls, Michael Molinaro, Quaker Valley High School, Quaker Valley School Board, Quaker Valley School District, Robert Ford, Sara Innamorato, Stephen Zappala, Suzanne Filiaggi, Todd Hamer, William Jasper | 3 Comments

Life, Love, and Lament in the Time of Corona

Posted on April 27, 2020 by John Linko

(Apologies to Gabriel Garcia Marquez) “There are strict scientific principles that have to be adhered to in medicine. At the same time, a humanistic touch is needed in dealing with people. You have to combine social aspects, ethical aspects, personal … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Community, Family, Government, Health, History, Local, Media, Personal, Politics, Public Safety | Tagged Cape Cod, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Danny DeVito, Devlin Robinson, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Jeff Neff, Pam Iovino, Sewickley Borough, Sewickley Public Library | 1 Comment

February / March Digest: Blessed are the Peacemakers…

Posted on March 8, 2016 by John Linko

Come, labor on! No time for rest, till glows the western sky, Till the long shadows o’er our pathway lie, And a glad sound comes with the setting sun, Well done, well done! Jane L. Borthwick, 1859, 1863. It’s been … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Grand Junction, Health, Local, Personal, Public Safety, Travel | Tagged Columbus OH, Derek Geer, Lynn Tilton, Mental Health, Police, Sewickley, Thomas Tull, TransCare | 1 Comment

Some Digestible Portions

Posted on February 4, 2016 by John Linko

One of the more interesting e-mail newsletters I receive is Eat That, Read This by Adam Shuck. Mr. Shuck finds news stories from many local sources, and posts them with links and insightful, snarky commentary into a mostly daily e-mail digest. It’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Community, Government, Health, Local, Media | Tagged Allegheny Health Network, Edgeworth, Heritage Valley, Jim Bouchard, Leetsdale, Muottas, Ohio River Trail Council, Thomas Tull | 5 Comments

This Month in Personal History – The ‘Sewickley Malaise’

Posted on September 2, 2015 by John Linko

Forty years ago, the attention of the local, state, and national public health community turned toward Sewickley Borough and its municipal water supply. If you lived, worked, played, or were otherwise hanging out in the general vicinity of Sewickley, PA … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, Health, History, Local, Media | Tagged Sewickley, Sewickley Herald, Sewickley Water | 1 Comment

The Politics of Allergies

Posted on November 5, 2014 by John Linko

As a child, I was allergic to everything – or so it seemed. I had to watch myself. My brother had it worse – if exposed to certain allergens, he would basically vapor lock and require some type of emergency … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Health, Local, Personal, Politics, Schools | Tagged Allergy, EpiPen, FARE, Mylan, Pa. HB 803, Senator Matt Smith | 1 Comment

Local Asides and Updates – Play Nice

Posted on September 19, 2014 by John Linko

There are plenty of little issues swirling around the area this week that garnered more than the average amount of my attention span. Rather than dive into one and try to flesh it out for all it’s worth (as has … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, Health, Local, Media, Public Safety, Schools, Sports | Tagged Carlynton, Charter Schools, Mauro Monz, North Allegheny, Propel Charter School, Quaker Valley, Sewickley, Sto-Rox | Leave a comment

Sewickley Landing Zones – A Turbulent Journey

Posted on July 31, 2014 by John Linko

Over the last few years I’ve been observing the manner and location at which medical helicopters land in the Sewickley area, specifically when transporting patients from Heritage Valley Hospital Sewickley (HVHS) to specialty care facilities in the Pittsburgh area and elsewhere. Recent … Continue reading →